Report: ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero duped into flying to Kigali

Paul Rusesabagina, the polarising hero of the Hotel Rwanda film who was arrested last month in Kigali, was duped into boarding a jet he thought was flying to Burundi, a New York Times report said.

“How I got here – now that is a surprise. I was actually not coming here,” he told the US daily in a jailhouse interview with two Rwandan officials in the room.

Rusesabagina, a Hutu, became famous after the Hollywood film credited him with saving the lives of over 1,200 people as they sheltered in the hotel he ran during the country’s 1994 genocide.

Some 800,000 mostly Tutsi but also moderate Hutu were killed in the genocide.

The 66-year-old has lived in exile since 1996 and holds both Belgian citizenship and a US green card.

Over the years, he has become a staunch critic of leader Paul Kagame’s Tutsi-dominated government, accusing his party of authoritarianism and anti-Hutu sentiment.

The NYT’s Friday report stated that Rusesabagina flew from the US to Dubai on Aug 26, before boarding a private jet he thought was heading to Bujumbura in Burundi, which neighbours Rwanda.

The plane was operated by GainJet, a charter company based in Greece that is often used by Kagame, the report said.

However, it landed in Kigali where Rusesabagina was arrested.

The NYT quoted Rwanda’s spy chief as saying “he delivered himself here”.

Rusesabagina has since been charged with terrorism, financing and founding militant groups, murder, arson and conspiracy to involve children in armed groups.

He said he was heading to Burundi at the invitation of a pastor, to speak in his churches.